A Love-struck Pathfinder
by Jaal Ama Darav
Summary: First meeting and love-struck for Sakura Ryder and Jaal Ama Darav.


**A Love-struck Pathfinder **

**A/N- 1,000 words or less prompt fic. Prompt was "Lovestruck!"**

**While Love-struck in Aya was for a Deviantart Weekly Prompt Challenge, wanted to do this one, couldn't resist… **

**Like Love-struck in Aya, it is written in a different style, feedback is appreciated! **

* * *

Revolution 826/2819CE – First Meeting:

Sakura Ryder entered the Pathfinder's Quarters of the Tempest, and walked to her chair by the terminal and sat on it. She had black hair, brown skin, blue eyes, and was in her blue-white Andromeda Initiative uniform.

They were currently en-route to Havarl. A good choice- it was a garden world, and from what little she discovered about the Angara so far, it was their original homeworld. It most likely had a Vault, and if its malfunctioning in some way, then fixing it would be a very good idea.

First Contact with the Angara went far better than with the Kett, but could've been better. They had basically crash-landed, their ship on fire and Scourge whipped, on their hidden base on Aya unannounced. It wasn't the best of first impressions, but could have been worse. On the plus side, she didn't get shot, the Kett didn't give her any choice but to shoot back. And the Angara were willing to give her and the Initiative a chance, a chance she couldn't afford to ruin.

And there was their newest crew member, their Angara envoy, Jaal Ama Darav. She had tried talking to him, but he was cold and distant, withdrawn. He refused to discuss much, and she knew it was likely him not wanting to reveal anything she could use against the Angara if she and the Initiative turned out bad. Trust would have to be earned.

But it wasn't a surprise, considering what the Kett did to them in the past. From what she discovered, the Kett lured in the Angara with false promises of gifts and cooperation, then turned on them. And they mercilessly slaughter and abduct Angara, often they never saw their abducted kin again.

_Move at their pace. _Sakura had told herself regarding the Angara. Too fast and things could get bad and fast.

* * *

Months later- Love-struck!:

Voeld was a frozen ice-ball of a planet, far from the tropical paradise scans from the Milky Way showed.

And it was here that Sakura herself, Jaal Ama Darav, and her Asari teammate Peebee were fighting Kett and clearing out a small Kett base.

Sakura was seeing blind spots in her vision, one of the signs of overusing one's biotics.

A Kett Anointed was in front of her, and she had tried to slash the Kett bastard with her Asari sword, but missed.

In a blink of an eye, with speed one wouldn't expect from his size, the Kett had knocked her off her feet and slammed her onto her back.

She was seeing stars and the Kett about to slam the butt of his Kett Soned assault rifle into the visor of her helmet.

A roar of fury, Jaal's running footsteps and a blur of purple. "Not my darling one, you skkutting monster!" Blue bioelectric energy flaring up full power and his firaan blade glowing blue-white with an intense buildup of bioelectricity. He stabbed the Kett in the midsection from the side, then ripped the firaan out, and kicked the Kett away with a single bioelectricity infused kick.

The Kett went flying along with his weapon, and became enshrouded in biotics.

And Peebee's voice. "I'll take care of him."

Jaal reached out his hand, and Sakura took it. He pulled her up to her feet and embraced her. "Are you okay?"

Sakura sighed and hugged Jaal. "Yes." She looked into his blue eyes with a smile. "Thank you." She saw his cheeks turn a shade of blue. _He's blushing..._

Jaal had at first been distant, but after the mission to rescue the Moshae, after that horrific reveal of what the Kett really were, and general trust-building, they became friends, close friends. The true test of her trust, and her nerves, came during the mission to deal with Akksul and save his two brothers and sister from the Roekaar. Akksul had a gun pointed at Jaal, and was threatening to kill him for 'being a traitor'. Her heart was telling her to pull the trigger, stop Akksul, but her mind was telling her not to, to not make a martyr out of him. He did fire, but his shot only grazed Jaal's cheek. Had it landed true…

Sakura felt warmth in her cheeks, and was glad her visor was in one-way mode, she was blushing too.

Peebee was heard. "Got the last of the bony bastards. Just need to check the base."

Jaal released his embrace, Sakura doing likewise.

Sakura turned to Peebee. "And when we leave, you can drive the Nomad. Pathfinder manual doesn't say anything about the Pathfinder being the only one allowed to drive, and since my driving freaked you out when we left the Angara Resistance base the first time, it's only fair.

Peebee looked about ready to jump for joy. "Yes! And I'll be as careful a driver as I can be!"

When this was all over, they were going to go to Jaadeen on Havarl, to meet Jaal's family. And to rest and relax. Voeld wasn't exhausting just physically, but emotionally with all the tragedy and suffering due to the Kett.

Sakura noticed Peebee's glance and smile.

Peebee was likely thinking what others who picked up on the cues were likely thinking- Sakura and Jaal were love-struck.


End file.
